S. Korea Confident About Advanced Radar Development

13 April 2018

This photo provided by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration shows a prototype of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system. (photo : Yonhap)

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Wednesday it's confident about developing its own advanced radar system for envisioned indigenous combat jets.

The defense authorities launched the 360-billion-won (US$338 million) program in 2016 to acquire an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system.

It's part of the ongoing KF-X fighter development project, worth 8.8 trillion won, to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets.

The state-run Agency for Defense Development is leading the radar initiative. It has a contract with Hanwha Systems, a local defense firm, for the production of a prototype.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the state defense procurement agency, formed a panel to review the feasibility of the program.

Its recent inspection showed that "the domestic development of an AESA radar is possible," the DAPA said in a statement.

It was the second and last confirmation process to determine whether South Korea is capable of developing the radar system, following a previous process in June last year.

A total of 112 items in four sectors were scrutinized, including a test operation of devices linked with ELTA, an Israeli producer of AESA systems, the DAPA said.

The basic design of the AESA radar for the KF-X program will be finalized in May, with the design of the KF-X aircraft available the following month, it added.

"As it has been confirmed through the first and second reviews that the domestic development of an AESA radar is possible, the system development has received a boost," Jung Kwang-sun, head of the DAPA's KF-X Program Group, said.

AESA radars can detect and track multiple targets simultaneously and extensively, as the beam of radio waves is electronically steered to a point in different directions without moving the antenna.

(YonhapNews)